Wellesley is, in a word, intense. The students are passionate and frequently rally around their favored causes, and they bring the same fervor to their studies along with their many extracurriculars. Between the high quality education, the student body's drive and passion, and the huge alumnae network, a Wellesley graduate has a big chance at success in life.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Wellesley students are smart, yeah, but most didn't get perfect scores on their SATs or have perfect 4.0 GPAs. What Wellesley cares about is that you have the passion to go after what you want and have a love of learning.
A lot of people ask about the all-girls component, to which I answer: it's not an all-girls school without men, it's an all-women college without boys (it's on a T-shirt). You get used to it very quickly. I can't exactly describe the vibe, but it really is different when there's a male in the room. Once in a while there are guys in the classes (since we can cross-register with Babson and MIT and they can come join us), but not often. I guess two main results I've seen from being surrounded by women is a feeling of siblinghood with my fellow students and a greater appreciation of what women are capable of--having female role-models doing things I'd only dreamed of has boosted my own self-confidence and gotten me to dream bigger.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
Wellesley is hard. A lot of rumors go around about grade deflation, but the truth is that the classes aren't killer, they just demand that you actually put in a huge effort--the kind of effort that teachers talked about in high school but wasn't actually necessary to get good grades. Here a B is something to be proud of, but people still get As.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
The dorms are awesome: many of the buildings are in the Gothic architectural style, so they're really pretty. That doesn't mean the facilities are old--the bathrooms are pretty nice, and although some of the rooms are a bit small, you're never cramped.
The dorms are split into different Houses (kind of like Harry Potter except without all the fighting), each with its own fight songs and traditions. You can be involved if you want, but there's no pressure to conform.
Each floor has its own kitchen or kitchenette (depending on how big) complete with stovetop, refrigerator, and microwave. The bathrooms have individual cubbies for your toiletries, and the rooms have closets.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The food here is excellent. There are four dining halls on campus, each within a dorm so you don't have to walk far (or even go outdoors) to get food; there's also two school-run cafes, a fancy dining hall in the campus center, and two student-run eateries. The dining halls in the dorms close at 7, but the one in the campus center is open until 10, and the student-run Cafe Hoop is open until 1 in the morning.
The only downside is the lack of fast food. The town of Wellesley is pretty upperclass, so many of the shops close early, and there's only one place (Lemon Thai) that delivers. However, if you've money to spend, there are several nice restaurants that have really good food.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
Well, often people are studying... But fun's to be there if you want it. Student government and various organizations hold several parties a semester on campus; if you want to do something on a Saturday night, the best bet is to go off-campus to one of the local colleges. But you will have to pay for transportation.
That said, there are a huge number of orgs on campus for you to join as well as several Societies which technically are not sororities but really are. There's usually something happening on campus, whether a performance or a party or maybe just the weekly movies hosted by the cinema club, but campus is pretty quiet past 11.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
If you're paying full-price, Wellesley's a tad on the expensive side, although the many resources available just might make it worthwhile. However, the college is pretty generous with financial aid: 60% of the student body receives some sort of aid, and for those who want work, there are many positions all around campus available.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
Obviously Wellelsey has some pretty awesome traditions, some of which I'm not allowed to share. One that's not a secret is tunnelling: in addition to the tunnels connecting various dorm complexes, there's said to be other tunnels connecting different buildings across campus. Of course, students aren't supposed to go in those, but since when has that ever stopped anyone?
Which types of students will excel at your college?
If you like a challenge and don't mind studying long hours, come to Wellesley. If you are passionate about an issue and want to go a school with likeminded souls, come to Wellesley. If you like to have a good time and go to parties, but also get good grades and more cerebral challenges, come to Wellesley.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
There are a huge amount of orgs on campus for pretty much every group imaginable. In fact, more often than not the clubs fair is a stressful time because there's so much to choose from! Most people choose one or two orgs and then commit to them fervently. As in everything else, each org is very passionate about what it does--there aren't many casual members or people who only sometimes help out.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
Technically Wellesley has no sororities. That said, there exist three or four societies which are really sororities in all but name. They have initiations and secret traditions, they have their own houses, they hold their own parties... if you want to be part of Greek life, you can.
On the other hand, you could consider Wellesley itself to be one giant (and expensive) sorority--and sometimes it does feel like that in all the best ways.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
The campus is really safe, partly because of the location: not much happens in the town of Wellesley. I think I've heard sirens go off once in the past semester, and that was during Hurricane Sandy. Obviously bad things can happen, but overall Wellesley is a pretty safe place to be.
Wellesley is, in a word, intense. The students are passionate and frequently rally around their favored causes, and they bring the same fervor to their studies along with their many extracurriculars. Between the high quality education, the student body's drive and passion, and the huge alumnae network, a Wellesley graduate has a big chance at success in life.
Wellesley students are smart, yeah, but most didn't get perfect scores on their SATs or have perfect 4.0 GPAs. What Wellesley cares about is that you have the passion to go after what you want and have a love of learning. A lot of people ask about the all-girls component, to which I answer: it's not an all-girls school without men, it's an all-women college without boys (it's on a T-shirt). You get used to it very quickly. I can't exactly describe the vibe, but it really is different when there's a male in the room. Once in a while there are guys in the classes (since we can cross-register with Babson and MIT and they can come join us), but not often. I guess two main results I've seen from being surrounded by women is a feeling of siblinghood with my fellow students and a greater appreciation of what women are capable of--having female role-models doing things I'd only dreamed of has boosted my own self-confidence and gotten me to dream bigger.
Wellesley is hard. A lot of rumors go around about grade deflation, but the truth is that the classes aren't killer, they just demand that you actually put in a huge effort--the kind of effort that teachers talked about in high school but wasn't actually necessary to get good grades. Here a B is something to be proud of, but people still get As.
The dorms are awesome: many of the buildings are in the Gothic architectural style, so they're really pretty. That doesn't mean the facilities are old--the bathrooms are pretty nice, and although some of the rooms are a bit small, you're never cramped. The dorms are split into different Houses (kind of like Harry Potter except without all the fighting), each with its own fight songs and traditions. You can be involved if you want, but there's no pressure to conform. Each floor has its own kitchen or kitchenette (depending on how big) complete with stovetop, refrigerator, and microwave. The bathrooms have individual cubbies for your toiletries, and the rooms have closets.
The food here is excellent. There are four dining halls on campus, each within a dorm so you don't have to walk far (or even go outdoors) to get food; there's also two school-run cafes, a fancy dining hall in the campus center, and two student-run eateries. The dining halls in the dorms close at 7, but the one in the campus center is open until 10, and the student-run Cafe Hoop is open until 1 in the morning. The only downside is the lack of fast food. The town of Wellesley is pretty upperclass, so many of the shops close early, and there's only one place (Lemon Thai) that delivers. However, if you've money to spend, there are several nice restaurants that have really good food.
Well, often people are studying... But fun's to be there if you want it. Student government and various organizations hold several parties a semester on campus; if you want to do something on a Saturday night, the best bet is to go off-campus to one of the local colleges. But you will have to pay for transportation. That said, there are a huge number of orgs on campus for you to join as well as several Societies which technically are not sororities but really are. There's usually something happening on campus, whether a performance or a party or maybe just the weekly movies hosted by the cinema club, but campus is pretty quiet past 11.
If you're paying full-price, Wellesley's a tad on the expensive side, although the many resources available just might make it worthwhile. However, the college is pretty generous with financial aid: 60% of the student body receives some sort of aid, and for those who want work, there are many positions all around campus available.
Obviously Wellelsey has some pretty awesome traditions, some of which I'm not allowed to share. One that's not a secret is tunnelling: in addition to the tunnels connecting various dorm complexes, there's said to be other tunnels connecting different buildings across campus. Of course, students aren't supposed to go in those, but since when has that ever stopped anyone?
If you like a challenge and don't mind studying long hours, come to Wellesley. If you are passionate about an issue and want to go a school with likeminded souls, come to Wellesley. If you like to have a good time and go to parties, but also get good grades and more cerebral challenges, come to Wellesley.
There are a huge amount of orgs on campus for pretty much every group imaginable. In fact, more often than not the clubs fair is a stressful time because there's so much to choose from! Most people choose one or two orgs and then commit to them fervently. As in everything else, each org is very passionate about what it does--there aren't many casual members or people who only sometimes help out.
Technically Wellesley has no sororities. That said, there exist three or four societies which are really sororities in all but name. They have initiations and secret traditions, they have their own houses, they hold their own parties... if you want to be part of Greek life, you can. On the other hand, you could consider Wellesley itself to be one giant (and expensive) sorority--and sometimes it does feel like that in all the best ways.
The campus is really safe, partly because of the location: not much happens in the town of Wellesley. I think I've heard sirens go off once in the past semester, and that was during Hurricane Sandy. Obviously bad things can happen, but overall Wellesley is a pretty safe place to be.